This Ordinary Life
by GoinDownSwinging
Summary: A series of one shots  set to various songs, some set along side the series, others set in my own imagined Rizzoli & Isles universe
1. The Light

**A/N: It's been a while since I've written...desperately trying to get my muse back. I listen to a lot of music, and this song inspired me to write again. I've actually got a few other one shots set to music up my sleeve to add to this series, but I'm not so sure I'm proud of where my writing is at this point. We'll see. Anyway, here's an initial one shot set to the song "The Light" by Sara Bareilles. If you haven't heard you, you need to hear it right now. It's breathtaking. Also, these characters aren't mine. But lordy, do I wish they were. Also, all errors are mine.**

* * *

_In the morning, it comes  
Heaven sent a hurricane  
Not a trace of the sun  
But I don't even run from rain_

Maura Isles sneezed into an already soggy tissue, groaning as she sank back down into her couch. Her living room was in stark contrast to the usual order and cleanliness that dictated her life; A pristine coffee table littered with various medications, a spotless floor covered in a sea of tissues…even Maura herself was a mess, clad in sweatpants much to long for her body and a Boston PD tee-shirt worse for the wear.

To say the past weekend had been long would be the understatement of the century. She had gone to her parents' house for the weekend to celebrate Christmas, a trip she had been dreading for weeks prior.

Maura loved her parents, she did, but the more she spent time with the Rizzoli family, the more she realized that she felt more welcomed, more accepted there than she had ever felt with her parents. She felt guilty, caring more for a family that technically wasn't even her own, but she shrugged the thought off to the side and ignored the pang of sadness that washed over her as she wished the Rizzoli's a Merry Christmas before heading out to the Cape for the holiday.

It only took three hours upon arrival for things to go sour. Sitting at the expansive table for Christmas Eve dinner, the elder Isles' made small talk with their daughter, catching up on the past year of her life, before asking the question Maura had been anticipating all day.

"Maura, dear, when are you going to settle down?" her father's booming voice had interrogated during a lull in conversation.

She had taken a deep breath, readying herself for her big news and the inevitable fall out about to ensue. "Well, Daddy, I'm actually seeing someone. She's lovely, really. Strong willed, incredibly hardworking, She's one of the best detectives in homicide and she takes ca—".

"A woman? A homicide detective? Honey, you can't be serious…" Her mother stared at her slack jawed.

"I don't see why her gender or chosen profession should be of importance." Maura had countered.

"We have a reputation to maintain, Maura. You know this. You know we love you, no matter what. But you can't possible expect us to be overjoyed with this news. How will the neighbors take to it? You are to marry into our lifestyle. Continue on the Isles' legacy. There are expectations…" Mr. Isles had tried to reason, to no avail.

The conversation had gone progressively downhill from there, with extremely harsh words said from both parties and culminating in Maura dejectedly leaving the house-gently thanking her parents for all they had done for her, but until they could respect her relationship with Jane, she had no desire to speak to them.

_Beating out of my chest  
my heart is holding onto you  
from the moment I knew  
from the moment I knew_

She had made it all the way home before falling into a sobbing heap on her bedroom floor, Bass at her feet.

As she had defended Jane to her parents, Maura realized that she was unquestionably in love with the woman. For all the logic and science and reason Maura hid behind, for the first time in her life she was leading with her heart. Completely uprooted by the brash detective, Maura had gone against everything she ever believed in to protect the only thing that had ever unwaveringly believed in her.

As she sat in a blubbering mess, reason slowly replaced emotion, and an overwhelming sense of fear had washed over her.

She defied and disappointed the parents who tried to give her the best life they knew how, all for a woman she had only been dating for 3 months. A woman who managed to simultaneously make Maura feel alive and bring her to her knees with a sole glance. A woman she had given up everything for, without second thought of the long-term consequences of her actions.

All she had wanted to do was call Jane, to confirm that their partnership wasn't just a fling. To be reassured that Jane needed her just as much as she needed Jane. But Maura refused to be that girl who relied on her girlfriend to pick her up when she fell, especially so early in their relationship. She also knew that the Rizzoli's were in the middle of their annual Christmas Eve extravaganza, and she was not willing to interrupt the ritual, no matter how desperately she wanted to.

So she, like so many nights before, tried to let science and probability dominate her thoughts. But science had failed her, and Maura now found herself in her current position—brokenhearted and confused on her couch, upset to the point of physical illness. Alone on Christmas Day.

_You're the air in my breath  
Filling up my love soaked lungs  
You're such a beautiful mess  
Intertwined and overrun_

She had spent the day watching Christmas movies, occasionally responding to Jane's text messages with vague answers so as to not indicate her location. By late afternoon, Maura had already blown through two boxes of tissues, and was about to tap into a third when her phone rang from between the cushions beneath her.

She attempted to clear her throat before answering, but as a strangled "Hello" escaped from her mouth, she knew she'd be busted.

"Maura, what's wrong?" Jane worriedly questioned.

"Nothing, I seem to have come down with a mild case of viral gastroenteritis. How is your mother's?" Maura croaked out, desperately trying to plow through the conversation.

There was a pregnant pause before Jane responded. "The usual. Ma keeps hounding me because I'm apparently not nearly as well behaved when you're not around. We miss you." Jane took a breath before adding softly "I miss you."

"Oh, Jane" Maura stifled a sob, which quickly turned into a coughing fit.

"Are your parents taking care of you? Please tell me they are."

Maura contemplated lying, before remembering she was virtually incapable of lying. She opted for gentle evasion. "I...uhh…I'm actually not there. I came home late last night"

"Why didn't you call me? What happened? You didn't drive while sick right? Jesus, Maur…" Jane rambled on, rattling off questions rapid fire.

"I woke up sick this morning. I didn't want to interrupt your celebrations. I'm fine…really" Maura sniffled, tears silently falling from her eyes.

Jane let out a huff, and Maura pictured her girlfriend running a hand through her hair and clutching the bridge of her nose." What really happened, Maura?"

"I—what?" Maura stalled, knowing there was no way she'd get out of the line of questioning now.

"I'm a detective. And I know you. Why are you back so early?" Jane growled.

With no other options left, Maura shivered as she spoke."My parents and I got into an argument. I no longer felt welcome. So I left."

Jane's voice immediately softened. "I'm coming over. I'll be there in 15. Have you been eating? Do you have soup?"

"Honestly, it's not necessary. Your mother will kill you for leaving, and the roads must be atrocious with all the snow out there." Maura tried to reassure, her trembling voice severely weakening the attempt.

"Ma will be fine. I'm not about to leave my girlfriend alone on Christmas, especially when she sounds like an 80 year old chain smoker. I'll use my key so you don't have to get up. Humor me, will ya?" Jane groaned.

Maura faintly registered the sound of a slamming door, followed by a car whirling to life. Realizing she was fighting a losing battle she sighed into the phone. "Okay. Please be careful."

_Nothing better than this  
Knowing that the storm can come  
You feel just like the sun  
Just like the sun_

20 minutes later, Maura was startled out of a fitful nap as her girlfriend burst through the front door, haphazardly dropping her duffel bag and squatting down beside the couch.

Taking in her girlfriend's appearance, Jane sat back on her heels. "Sweetie, you should have called me." Jane cooed as she brushed an errant curl behind Maura's ear before placing the back of her hand to her girlfriend's forehead to check for a fever. Maura smiled at the woman before her, heart warming at the term of endearment Jane only used when she knew Maura was feeling particularly vulnerable.

"I didn't want to bother you" Maura meekly responded after a moment, tears pooling in her eyes.

Affectionately smiling down at her girlfriend, Jane whispered reverently. "Anything that has to do with you could never bother me."

Another moment passed before Jane pressed a kiss to Maura's cheek, eliciting a gasp from the sick woman as she welcomed the familiar pair of lips and the warmth that spread throughout her body at the action.

Just as Jane pulled back, Maura paled, bolting upright and murmuring a hurried, "I think I'm going to be sick", before rushing towards her bathroom, Jane fast on her heels.

_And you say  
I'll be all right  
I'm gonna trust you, babe  
Gonna look in your eyes_

_Yeah, you say  
I'll be all right  
I'll follow you  
Into the light_

As Maura released the contents of her stomach into the toilet, Jane held her hair back with one hand while rubbing small circles on her back with the other.

Maura whimpered as another wave of nausea consumed her.

"I know baby, it sucks. It'll be over soon. You'll be okay. I'm right here with you." Jane sighed as Maura proceeded to vomit.

After a few more rounds of nausea, Maura wearily rested her head on the rim of the toilet seat, peering up at Jane, noting the anguish look painted across the detective's features.

Jane handed Maura some toilet paper and a cup of mouthwash, watching helplessly as Maura cleaned up the remnants of her nasuea. "I don't think I have anything left to expel" Maura moaned.

Wordlessly. Jane stood up, sweeping up the weak doctor into her arms and carrying her into the living room, Maura burrowing into the crook of Jane's neck and reveling in the comforting smell that was all Jane as she allowed herself to be carried.

_Never mind what I knew  
Nothing seems to matter now  
Oh, who I was without you  
I can do without_

Jane settled on the couch, Maura perched on top of her, wrapping them in a cocoon of blankets. Humming softly in her girlfriend's ear, Jane tried to soothe the trembling body cuddled up against her.

As nimble fingers played with her hair, Maura slowly felt her body calm down, the stress of the past few days easing away with her girlfriend's soft touch.

The old Maura would claim the affections coursing through her were purely chemical reactions to the close proximity. She'd claim oxytocin was to blame, rattling off facts and statistics and reduce the feeling to science.

But the new Maura, the Maura that she's become since Jane, knew that even with biology, this feeling was so much more. It was love. Comfort. Acceptance. Jane was everything science couldn't explain.

And as she nestled into the warm body beneath her, she knew she had made the right decision to walk out on her parents.

_No one knows where ends  
How it may come tumbling down  
But I'm here with you now  
I'm with you now_

"Are you feeling better?" Jane's gravelly voice broke the silence that had enveloped them.

Though not apt on reading social cues, Maura knew what Jane was really asking. She lifted her head up, regarding the woman below her before responding. "I told my parents about you. We fought about you."

Jane closed her eyes., her voice straining. "Shit. I'm so sorry. I knew we shouldn't have told my parents. I didn't want you to feel pressured, like you had to tell your parents. God, I can't believe I screwed up your family, I'm so sor—"

Maura shoved her hand over her girlfriend's mouth, effectively stopping the rant.

"Shh…sweetheart there's nothing to be sorry about. I wanted to tell them. It's their fault that things are screwed up. It's their inability to be open-minded that lead to this. Not you. I'll never be sorry about being with you." Maura pulled her hand away, peering down at the chocolate eyes searching her own.

"But still—" Jane began, before Maura placed a finger upon Jane's lips to stop her again.

"Jane, you scare me. You make me disregard everything I've ever known. I follow you blindly, without thought. I've never…I don't interact with people well. But you make me feel normal. You make me feel alive. I've never been as happy as I am when I'm with you. If my parents can't accep…accept that…well then…" Maura trailed off, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.

_And then you say  
I'll be all right  
I'm gonna trust you, babe  
Gonna look in your eyes_

_Yeah, you say  
I'll be all right  
I'll follow you  
Into the light_

Jane reached up, cupping Maura's face and leaning in to press a tender kiss to trembling lips.

"Your parents are insane for not accepting you. Accepting us." Jane paused, brow furrowed before she smirked. "Well, not so much us, because lets face it, if I were your parents I wouldn't consider myself a suitable suitor either but…" Maura laughed through her tears, playfully swatting her girlfriend's shoulder.

Jane chuckled at the antics, wiping away tear tracks on the broken face gazing back at her before continuing more seriously. "I want you to listen to me right now, Maura Elizabeth Isles. You are the single most amazing person I have ever met. Your quirks are so damn cute, you put up with all my emotional baggage and my crazy family willingly, and there isn't a mean bone in your body. And I promise to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I love you." Jane took a steadying breath, the tears falling from her eyes betraying her otherwise collected demeanor.

"I love you, Maura. More than you could possibly know. I may not be much, but I will always be there to pick you up when you fall." Jane's façade crumbling fast, she brushed away an errant tear before whispering a plea. "Please let me pick you up when you fall. It killed me to hear you upset and sick and know you didn't realize I'd drop everything to be where you are. I want to be the one to make things better for you."

Maura snaked a hand through her girlfriend's unruly hair, both women crying freely. After several failed attempts at articulating how she was feeling, Maura decided on a hushed "thank you", before wrapping her arms around Jane's neck as grateful sobs overtook both women.

_Let the world come rushing  
Come down hard, come crushing  
All I need  
Is right here, beside me  
I'm not enough, I swear it  
But take my love and wear it over your shoulders_

After an hour of gentle weeping, exhaustion won out, until Jane woke to Maura shifting.

"Where are you going? What do you need?" Jane grumbled, wrapping her arm tighter around the squirming woman.

"I just need a Kleenex" Maura smiled sheepishly, leaning down into the sea to pick up a clean tissue. She tried to delicately blow her nose, glaring at Jane as she watched with mirth.

"I held your hair back as you puked all over the place. After that, nothing is disgusting. Just blow it for Christ's' sake"

Maura giggled, thunderously blowing her nose as Jane laughed uncontrollably.

After ensuring her face was clean, Maura rested her head on Jane's chest and clutched the hand not resting on her back to interlace their fingers.

"I'm not quite sure I deserve you, Jane Angela Rizzoli. But I just thought you should know that you're all I ever need." Maura's voice cracked as she placed a tender kiss atop the Jane's beating heart.

"Right back 'atcha" Jane smiled, pressing a kiss to Maura's forehead.

After a few more moments of comfortable silence, Maura realized she had still left one thing unspoken.

"Jane?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you too."

_And if you say  
I'll be all right  
I'm gonna trust you, babe  
Gonna look in your eyes_

_Yeah, you say  
I'll be all right  
I'll follow you  
Into the light_


	2. This Woman's Work

**a/n: Thanks so much for all your kind reviews! Here's another one shot, this time set right after the finale. The song is the AMAZING cover of "This Woman's Work" by Greg Laswell. So beautiful. Though this chapter is set to that song, while I wrote this piece I was listening to another song-"All I Want" by Kate Earl. I don't think I'll be writing a one-shot to it, so I thought I should recommend it here. It's pretty much my life's theme song...**

**And as always, all errors are mine, and the characters are simply borrowed.**

**

* * *

**

_Pray God__  
__You can cope__  
__I stand outside this woman's work__  
__This woman's world__  
__Oh__, __It's hard on the man__  
__Now his part is over__  
__Now starts the craft of the father_

She barely recognizes the incessant beeping of the machines surrounding her, the whirring of Jane's ventilator reduced to nothing more than white noise. Maura tries to focus on the nurse checking Jane's vitals, but her eyes gloss over with tears, leaving her pupils unfocused and hazy. She squeezes her eyes shut, desperately wishing this were one elaborate dream.

Two days. Two days of constant vigil at Jane's bedside. She tells herself it's to give Angela and Frank some semblance of comfort knowing that a doctor is watching over their little girl at all times, but Maura knows it's more than that. Maura hasn't left because she can't. She can't leave Jane's side. She knows, logically, that there was nothing she could do except watch as Jane fought to get better, but Maura's heart was literally aching with need to comfort her best friend. Maura Isles refused to leave because being here meant that Jane was still alive. Being here meant that Jane wasn't alone. She wouldn't leave, because she couldn't imagine a life without Jane.

All she could do was pray that Jane would defeat the odds.

_I know you have a little life in you yet__  
__I know you have a lot of strength left__  
__I know you have a little life in you yet__  
__I know you have a lot of strength left_

It's unsettling, seeing Jane like this. The woman who had escaped death more times than any individual should; now barely holding on. A life once so full, now dependent on mechanical support to continue on.

Maura knew Jane was a fighter. In all the years they've been friends, she's never known Jane to give up. She doesn't suspect this situation to be any different. Except that this situation is markedly different. This time, Jane pulled the trigger. Her injuries were not the work of a crazed psychopath. Not the work of a robbery gone wrong, or any of the other countless ways Jane had found herself in hazardous situations in times past.

This time, it almost felt like Jane had given up on herself.

_I should be crying but I just can't let it show__  
__I should be hoping but I can't stop thinking__  
__Of all the things I should've said that I never said__  
__All the things we should've done that we never did__  
__All the things I should've given but I didn't_

_Oh__  
__My darling make it go__  
__Make it go away_

Deep in her thoughts, Maura's startled when she feels a hand gently rest on her shoulder. She peers up at the ashen face of Frank Rizzoli, before glancing at Angela tucked at his side, eyes puffy from days of crying over her children.

"How's my baby girl doing today?" Mr. Rizzoli rasps as he kisses his daughters cheek while Angela moves to the other side of the bed to kiss the other cheek.

"She seems to be responding post-operatively astonishingly well. The next 6 hours are critical, though. Once that time frame is over, the risk for infection decreases exponentially. If she…" Maura catches herself, before continuing, "…when she pulls through, her surgeon is confident that she'll make a full, albeit slow, recovery."

"Oh thank God" Mrs. Rizzoli exhales as she fusses with Jane's hair. Maura chuckles, comforted by the fact that not much has changed between mother and daughter, even given the current circumstances.

Turning her attention to Frank, Maura offers her chair to the man. "How's Frankie doing?" Maura questions as Frank smiles gratefully at the chance to sit for a moment.

"Gettin' better by the hour. He said you stopped by earlier to visit, he was happy to see someone other than us, I think we're driving him crazy." Frank laughs, before grabbing his daughter's hand. "They think he'll be outta the hospital within the week."

"That's wonderful to hear" Maura smiles, though it doesn't quite meet her eyes. "I'm just going to…" Maura trails off, pointing to the window off in the corner as she allows the Rizzoli's a moment of privacy.

Maura watches as Jane's parents speak happily to their daughter, trying to remain positive in an otherwise negative environment. As she listens, she can't help but feel a pang of jealousy rise within her. She wants to believe that Jane will make it through like everyone else does, wants to remain hopeful that in a few days from now, Jane will be back to her old self. But all she can focus on are all the things Jane still had to do with her life. All the things Jane still had to teach her. Maura knew, with a degree of certainty she rarely felt comfortable commenting on, that she would never be the same should Jane not survive this trauma. She would never recover from the loss.

She hadn't cried since the incident. Even as she panicked over Jane's limp body, Maura didn't cry, too focused on keeping the detective alive to allow fear to hinder her efforts. Call it shock or denial, but Maura refused to let anyone see just how scared and helpless she felt. Too many people were depending on her now for answers, for her medical opinion of the situation.

But more than that, she's only ever cried in front of Jane. She's only ever known how to be weak in front of Jane. An overwhelming sense of loss washed over her as she finally realized how close she came to losing the one person who had the ability to break down every single protective barrier Maura hid behind.

Allowing her eyes to slip shut for a moment as unshed tears begin to well behind her lids, flashbacks of Jane's blood pooling out onto the sidewalk and all over Maura's hands come rushing back into her mind and she rubs her face vigourously, trying to push the memory out of her mind.

_Give me these moments back__  
__Give them back to me__  
__Give me that little kiss__  
__Give me your hand_

After feeling an appropriate amount of private time had passed, Maura rejoins the Rizzoli's around Jane's bedside, the three of them reminiscing on better times. As Angela lists off the dozens of times Jane was sent to the hospital as a young girl, Maura tumbles into her own memories of Jane.

She recalled a lunch date they had just last week. Lately, the pair had settled into a routine: Jane would clamor down to the morgue at 1 pm, and they'd head out together, eating their lunch in the park just across the way from the station. Usually the time was spent with idle talk, but on this particular day, Maura had been upset. She spent much of their lunch barely keeping tears at bay as she pleaded with Jane to tell her why she was incapable of being with a man without feeling the overwhelming need to diagnose him, wondering out loud why she was wired so wrong.

Jane had sat with her arm protectively around Maura's uncharacteristically slumped shoulders, a hand delicately placed on Maura's knee, rubbing soothing circles as the Doctor vented. Finally, during a moment of silence, Jane pulled Maura closer and rested her head atop Maura's.

"One of these days, Maur, you'll find someone who wants to be with you _because _of your quirks, not in spite of them. Someone will come along and see you the way I see you, and suddenly, it won't feel like you're wired wrong. You'll just be you. And that's all anyone ever needs." Jane's raspy voice had reverberated throughout Maura's entire body, filling her in a way that was foreign yet oh so wonderful.

Jane had given Maura a quick peck on the crown of her head with a reinforcing pat to the knee before pulling her up and they made their way back to the station. Though it was business as usual after their chat, Maura's body had inexplicably quivered for the rest of the day.

Maura smiles as she falls into another memory, this time of just three days ago, the night before the incident, when she had joined the Rizzoli's for Gnocchi night. Jane and her mother had been arguing again, and in a moment of compassion for her friend, Maura slipped her hand into Jane's, rubbing her scar in an attempt to soothe her. The effect had been instantaneous, with Jane conceding to her mother with an exasperated sigh. But their hands remained intertwined for the rest of dinner.

Pulling herself back to reality, Maura gasps as realization flows over her. Things had shifted. Jane wasn't just her best friend. Jane was turning into her soul mate. How had she not realized this before? And now…now she may never get the chance to tell Jane.

And just like that, the tears she'd been keeping at bay came rushing out without warning, and she rapidly blinked, trying to avoid a break down in front of Jane's parents.

Luckily, the elder Rizzoli's chose the exact moment to head back home for some much needed sleep. Hastily wiping her cheeks, Maura narrowly escaped being caught crying.

"Maura, dear, please make sure you get some rest. You need sleep just as much as Janie does, you hear me? Don't be stubborn like her now." Angela earnestly pleaded, grabbing Maura into a bone-crunching hug. The two women hugged for a long moment before the matriarch walked out the door, undoubtedly heading to her son's room before leaving the hospital for the night.

Frank Sr. wrapped Maura up into another hug, though much softer than the earlier embrace. "Thank you for all you've done for my kids. And you're always welcome to stay at our house. You call if you need anything, even if it's just a person to sit with. Okay?" Maura nods her head in understanding, not trusting her voice. Mr. Rizzoli drops a kiss to her cheek before exiting the room, leaving Maura and her unconscious companion alone again.

_I know you have a little life in you yet__  
__I know you have a lot of strength left__  
__I know you have a little life in you yet__  
__I know you have a lot of strength left_

She gingerly sits beside Jane on the bed, clutching the lifeless hand resting beside her. She gazes at her friend, drinking in Jane's appearance for the first time as a love interest rather than a friend.

"Oh Jane" she whispers into the quiet room. "You are the most resilient person I know. I don't think I tell you that enough. You endure some awful things; yet somehow pull through better for it. You can do it again. You will do it again…you… have to do it again."

_I should be crying but I just can't let it show__  
__I should be hoping but I can't stop thinking__  
__Of all the things we should've said that were never said__  
__All the things we should've done that we never did__  
__All the things that you needed from me__  
__All the things that you wanted for me__  
__All the things that I should've given but I didn't_

Tears slipping down her cheeks onto their tangled hands, Maura silently cries for a few minutes before taking a shuddering breath and continuing her monologue.

"We were supposed to go to that French restaurant this weekend. You could have just told me you didn't want to go, instead of shooting yourself to get out of it." Maura smiles as she laughs at her own joke. Before Jane, she never understood sarcasm. Now, she finds herself using it more and more. Jane was right: it is a wonderful avoidance technique.

She continues talking, her voice cracking from emotion. "I don't know how you do it, Jane. Even with your cynical manner, you manage to make everything brighter. You do everything you can to infuriate me, yet I know you only want the best for me. I just…"

Maura stops, taking a moment to brush away the loose curls from Jane's face before moving in to curl up beside Jane, careful not to disrupt any of her intravenous lines. She knows she really shouldn't be laying next to Jane, the risks involved far outweighing the benefits, but she needs to allow herself this indulgence, even if only for a few minutes.

Once sure she hasn't disrupted any of Jane's connections, Maura continues to whisper to the detective. "If you were awake, I know you'd think it's crazy that everyone's talking to you as if you'd answer. But studies indicate that, even in an unconscious state, people can still hear others speaking to them."

They lie quietly for a few moments, before Maura presses a kiss to Jane's temple. "I may have stretched the truth when I said you weren't my type, Jane. You're not. But that doesn't mean I don't find myself attracted to you. You know I don't pick up on emotions well, especially when it comes to my own. It's easier to hide behind science. I know science. I'm scared of…feeling." Maura sniffs before pressing her face into Jane's neck, lips moving against smooth skin.

"You feel with reckless abandon-it's one of the many things I love about you. You deserved so much more from me. I…should have given you more of me. I'm so sorry." Maura chokes out a sob; body trembling as she finally breaks down.

"I need you to wake up, Jane. We haven't had our chance yet" she whimpers, eyes closing as exhaustion washes over her.

Before slumber overtakes her, she whispers a plea to anyone who will listen:

_Oh__  
__Darling make it go__  
__Make it go away now_

"Please…come back."


	3. Picture

**a/n: I've been sitting on this vignette for upwards of a month, because it just felt...off. However, I'm tired of trying to make it better. So, here's the next installment. Song is Perfect by Doria Roberts. As always, the characters in this story are not mine. The treehouse was though. Set sometime early in their relationship, but before "I love you's" have been officially stated.**

* * *

_Let's take a picture now  
I do not want to forget  
The way you look at me when everything is perfect  
A perfect memory of when things are so good  
And everything has worked out just the way we knew it would_

A gentle grin broke across the detective's features as she watched her girlfriend transfer a frog into an eager little boy's hand a few feet away from the bench they had been occupying minutes prior.

A squeal reverberated throughout the park when the frog jumped out of the child's hand and back into the shrubs, Jane's heart melting at the sheer joy glistening in Maura's eyes as the scene unfolded. Maura patted the kid's knee before standing up and waving goodbye, rejoining Jane on the bench.

"Glad to see you could step away from your boyfriend over there to spend some time with me" Jane smirked as Maura mock-glared at her.

"Oh, hush you. I was just trying to help."

Jane pressed a kiss to Maura's pouting lips. "I know. It's cute. I promise."

They fell into comfortable silence, people watching in the fading afternoon sun, Maura's head resting on Jane's shoulder, fingers subconsciously toying with the smooth calluses on Jane's palm.

"What were you like as a child?" Maura questioned after a long lull, glancing up at Jane.

Squinting her eyes, Jane pursed her lips together, before pulling the smaller woman up, practically dragging her of the park.

"Jane, where are we going?"

Squeezing the small hand clasped in hers, Jane stole a kiss from the questioning woman. "I wanna show you something."

Five minutes later, the women sat cross-legged in a secluded tree house off in the corner of the Jane's childhood backyard, sounds of laughing children and idle chatter cutting through the April air from the surrounding neighbors.

Taking a look around, Maura tiled her head in question. "And this place is?"

"This, Maura, is what I was like as a kid."

Jane was met with a blank stare. "I'm afraid I don't quite understand…"

Leaning back on the wooded wall, the lanky detective closed her eyes as she remembered a 12-year-old version of herself. "I played with the boys, ya know? I had skinned knees and black eyes and more broken bones than I knew what to do with. But sometimes, I needed to just, be. So I'd come up here. My brothers thought tree houses were lame so it was all mine. I wasn't Rollie-Pollie Rizzoli, or just another one of the guys when I came up here. I was…me."

Maura watched her girlfriend with something akin to awe as Jane delicately fingered the floorboard below her, finding a loose one and lifting it up to pull out a worn journal from the space underneath.

"C'mere" Jane wagged her finger at her girlfriend, pulling her into her lap as Maura crawled closer.

"Anything I've ever thought was important is in this journal. Pictures, thoughts. I'm pretty sure I even taped a tooth in here from the first time I punched a guy in the face. That day was awesome." She whispered, chin resting on Maura's shoulder as they flipped through the pages, occasionally stopping at some entries to re-visit her memories.

As they neared the end of the journal, Maura grabbed Jane's wrist, stilling the movement. "Wait. Some of these entries are fairly recent." Looking closer, Maura's breath hitched as she brought her free hand up to her now gaping mouth.

"These…you wrote about me."

Shrugging, a faint blush colored Jane's cheeks. "Uhh…like I said…anything I've ever thought was important is in here…" Jane trailed off.

Maura thumbed through the remaining pages, eyes welling up as she read Jane's scraggly handwriting spell out heart wrenching pining for her.

Jane watched as unshed tears glistened in her girlfriend's eyes. "If I had only known…"

Pressing a kiss to Maura's temple, Jane reassured the slightly trembling woman. "Don't. Here. Lets take a picture. Rumor has it it's worth a thousand words."

Maura clapped excitedly, dabbing her eyes hastily and grabbing Jane's camera phone. "This is hardly the appropriate lighting, but I do enjoy capturing moments like there!"

Extending one arm to take the picture, Maura wrapped the other around Jane's shoulders, heads resting together as she counted down to the picture. At the last second, Maura turned her head, kissing Jane's cheek as she clicked the picture.

They glanced at the small screen, identical grins plastered on their faces as they viewed the photograph.

"I've gotta email this to Frost and Korsak. They're always singing that ridiculous song 'Jane and Maura sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…' Now they can finally stop that shit, 'cause apparently we do kiss in trees."

Maura laughed, winding her hand through dark tresses, pulling Jane's face impossibly closer to her own. "Thank you for bringing me here" she whispered against Jane's mouth, before closing the distance for a languid kiss. After a few more minutes spent in throws of a teenaged make out session, Jane laughed against Maura's neck. "Alright, I've reached my sappy quota for the day. Let's go see if we can grub dinner off Ma before heading home."

They clambered down from the tree house heading back towards the house before Jane stopped short. "Oh and Maur?" Jane bent down to pick up some dirt before spitting on her hand, thrusting it into Maura's.

Horror painted the ME's features. "Honestly Jane, do you have any idea how unsanitary that was. The bacteria found in…"

Jane pressed a finger to Maura's lips, silencing her. "I'd be willing to bet you've never been part of a secret society. Congratulations, you're in. We're bound now"

"But we aren't cuffed…"

Jane rolled her eyes. "No, not literally. Bound like, we have a secret handshake and shit. You're sworn to secrecy. You tell anyone about my tree house, and I'll have to kill you."

"Oh! Well in that case…" Maura bent down, repeating the ritual Jane had just performed, "your secret is safe with me", thrusting her hand in Jane's and offering a toothy grin before skipping off into the Rizzoli's house.

_I bought a picture frame  
I made room on the wall  
I hold you close to my chest  
Because I've made room in my heart  
You ask me what I'm doing  
I say displaying our love  
I can see you when I'm awake and you're the one I'm dreaming of_

A few weeks later, Maura returned from walking Jo Friday to find her girlfriend reorganizing the picture frames on her wall, making room for a new one.

"New picture?" Maura questioned as she sidled up beside Jane, wrapping an arm around her slender waist.

Looking down at Maura, Jane slung her arm around her girlfriend's shoulders. "Yeah, I figured I'd hang the picture from the tree house on the wall. It's the first official 'couple' picture we've taken together".

"Jane, I…are you sure you want to hang this up? I understand the social ramifications of our relationship and I don't want to make it any more difficult for you than it already is. Obviously Vince and Barry are fine with our relations, but I know the rest of the department can be…exceedingly harsh and..."

"Relax, Maur. I love this picture, and I lo—" Jane paused, shaking her head before continuing, "I've got enough pictures of my ridiculous family. I want to show off my hot girlfriend" she finished calmly.

Calm quickly turned to panic though, and Jane immediately backtracked after a moment of silence. "That is, unless you're not okay with me putting up a picture. I know we're taking things slow…I'll take it down, oh man I just thought that…"

Maura pushed Jane against the wall, pressing her lips to her lover's, tongues dueling in a passionate dance, hands roaming over every inch of available skin.

"It's more than okay," Maura gasped. "In fact, I think I need to illustrate just how okay it is". She grabbed Jane's forearm, pulling her towards the bedroom.

_I love the sun when it shines  
I love the sky when it's blue  
I love the color green  
Because it reminds me of you  
I've been thinking about you all night  
A warm bed and a cozy fire  
You put you arms around me and lift my head  
And then you kiss me…_

Jane smiled, rubbing her eyes as she woke up to blinding sun. Though not a morning person on the weekdays, the weekends were a whole other story, and the detective actually welcomed being woken up to something other than her alarm clock.

Rolling over to her side, she threw an arm around the torso of her still sleeping girlfriend, nuzzling into the crook of her neck to place a soft kiss to the small hickey left over from the night before.

Feeling Maura stir, Jane pulled back, propping her head up on her free hand to watch Maura slowly wake up.

"You're staring." Maura grumbled into her pillow, popping an eye open to peek at her partner.

"And they say I'm the detective"

Maura attempted to swat Jane, her half unconscious state rendering the movement nothing more than an arm twitch.

Jane chuckled, running her hand up and down her girlfriend's spine. "This is nice." Jane mused, brushing a stray strand of hair away from Maura's face.

"Hmm?"

"This." Jane gestured vaguely to the two of them. "It's still a little surreal. Seeing you first thing in the morning. You're so…different.

Maura propped herself up on her forearms, looking over at a smirking Jane. "That's hardly an accurate assessment,"

"Sure it is. Ya know, like how your eyes are greener in the morning. Or how you don't become 'Googlemouth' until you've hit snooze twice. And, oh my God who knew something so beautiful and proper could snore that fuckin' loud."

"I do not!"

"Whatever you say, Maur…"

Maura twinned her arms around Jane's neck, rolling the pair over so Jane was resting flush atop Maura.

Lowering her voice, Maura crooned into Jane's ear. "Oh Jane. You should know by now, I make many sounds in the bedroom. Snoring is not one of them. Care for a demonstration?"


End file.
